Processing technologies for Nomex honeycomb composites (NHCs): A critical review. (15th October 2020) - Ahmad, Shahzad
Abstract: Nomex honeycomb composites have been paid significant attention for high performance structural applications in sandwich structures of aircrafts, aerospace, automotive, defense and so on. Both academia and industry have consensus that thin cell walls, cellular (hexagonal) structure, entrapped air inside cells, sandwich layers of phenolic resins (soft) and aramid fibers (brittle) enhance the machining complexity of Nomex honeycomb composites and high quality processing on commercial scale remains a challenging task. Therefore, a wide spectrum of research was extremely required to fully exploit the potential of suitable processing technologies for Nomex honeycomb composites. This paper systematically presents a comprehensive literature review on the processing complexity of Nomex honeycomb composites and particularly emphasis on the design issues of processing technologies, influence of conventional and ultrasonic processing technologies on surface quality and cutting forces, impact of cutting tools design factors and processing parameters on the performance of the machining systems, mechanical properties and microstructural topographies of Nomex honeycomb composites, research developments of material removal technologies and associated processing mechanisms, fixture methods, current challenges and future research scope. Moreover, the present study provides comprehensive guidelines and technological insights for high quality processing of Nomex honeycomb composites.